the ball and beating people like he was two or three months ago | Forum

NEW YORK -- That baseball hazing ritual of dressing rookies as Wonder Woman, Hooters Girls and?Dallas Cowboys?cheerleaders is now banned. Air Max 270 Outlet .Major League Baseball created an Anti-Hazing and Anti-Bullying Policy that covers the practice. As part of the sports new labor deal, set to be ratified by both sides Tuesday, the players association agreed to not contest it.The policy, obtained by The Associated Press, prohibits teams from requiring, coercing or encouraging players to engage in activities that include dressing up as women or wearing costumes that may be offensive to individuals based on their race, sex, nationality, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or other characteristic.MLB vice president Paul Mifsud said Monday that the new rules resulted partly in light of social media, which in our view sort of unfortunately publicized a lot of the dressing up of the players ... those kind of things which in our view were insensitive and potentially offensive to a number of groups.Theres lots of pictures of baseball players dressed up as Disney princesses, he said.Or even more outlandish things, often for late-season plane trips:?Bryce Harper as a member of the U.S. Olympic womens gymnastics team,?Mike Trout as Lady Gaga,?Manny Machado in a ballet tutu and?Carlos Correa as Wonder Woman. Those are all out starting next season.Although it hasnt happened, you could sort of see how like someone might even dress up in blackface and say, Oh no, we were just dressing up, Mifsud said. Weve also understood that a number of players have complained about it.Exactly when the annual dress-up day began around the majors isnt clear. Players often consider it a form of bonding, and it has become more and more of a production in recent years.Chase Headley and San Diego Padres newcomers wore the skimpy, shiny orange shorts and tight white tops of Hooters servers for a September 2008 flight from Denver to Washington.Times have changed. There is certain conduct that we have to be conscious of, MLB Players Association general counsel Dave Prouty said. The important thing for us was to recognize there was a policy but to preserve the players rights to challenge the level of discipline and the imposition of discipline.Not all outfits are banned; superheroes such as Batman and Spider-Man are OK. Other past costumes that would be allowed include San Francisco ace Madison Bumgarner as a giant ketchup bottle, Miami slugger Giancarlo Stanton on the U.S. Olympic mens water polo team and?Los Angeles Dodgers?outfielder Yasiel Puig as Gumby.The issue of locker room bullying erupted a few years ago, when an NFL investigation found that?Richie Incognito and two other Miami Dolphins engaged in persistent harassment toward teammate Jonathan Martin.MLB looked at several college anti-hazing policies while developing these new rules, and they are already being criticized by some current and former players.Seriously?! former Red Sox star Kevin Youkilis wrote on Twitter. Had to wear a Hooters outfit going through customs in Toronto and wore it proudly [because] I was in the Show.Dodgers pitcher Ross Stripling tweeted a photo of himself and teammates sporting cheerleading uniforms and said he was honored to be one of the last players ever to be dressed up as a woman.Last September, the New York Mets posted photos and video of players going to Starbucks in Philadelphia wearing uniforms from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, as portrayed in the 1992 movie A League of Their Own. Several other teams engaged in similar behavior.In 2012, Harper and?Washington Nationals?newcomers wore red leotards in the style of Gabby Douglas and the U.S. womens gymnastics team for a train ride to New York. Veteran Washington pitcher Gio Gonzalez tweeted a photo.In 2007, the?Yankees theme was The Wizard of Oz. Ian Kennedy wore Dorothys ruby red slippers for a flight from New York to Tampa, Florida.Id rather be here dressing up than anywhere else, Kennedy said at the time. It makes you feel like one of the guys.The new policy states a players actual or perceived willingness to participate in prohibited conduct does not excuse the activity from being considered a violation of the policy.Not everyone saw these things as fun. After he was traded to the Mets in 1992, Jeff Kent threw his pimp costume to the floor in the visitors clubhouse in Montreal and demanded that his regular clothes -- which contained the ID he needed to go through customs -- be returned.I paid my rookie dues in Toronto, he said then. I feel I have endured my embarrassments, my punishment. I felt I was being taken advantage of. They wanted to go overboard. I stuck up for myself. I wont be pushed around.Some common rookie rituals are permitted. Last year, the St. Louis Cardinals?and Dodgers made their newcomers walk across the street from Wrigley Field -- in their full uniforms -- to bring back coffee before their games against the?Chicago Cubs.Rookie relievers still might find themselves lugging snacks across the diamond to the bullpen for the veterans. But requiring players to consume alcoholic beverages or any other kind of drug, or requiring the ingestion of an undesirable or unwanted substance (food, drink, concoction) is banned under the new collective bargaining agreement.The policy is in addition to the workplace code of conduct adopted by MLB and the union in 2013, after the office of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman asked to meet with baseball officials and inquired what rules the sport had in place against bullying with respect to sexual orientation.The purpose of this policy is not to prohibit all traditions regarding rookies or players, the new policy states, but rather to prohibit conduct that may cause players physical anguish or harm, may be offensive to some players, club staff or fans, or are distracting to the operation of the club or MLB.Buy Air Max 270 Shoes .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. Discount Nike Air Max 270 .5 million, one-year contract on Friday. Hawkins, who turns 41 in December, will compete with Rex Brothers for the closers role at spring training. http://www.cheapairmax270trainers.com/ . John Lucas, signed as a mentor for rookie Trey Burke, showed he can score if required, scoring 12 points of his 16 points in the second quarter as Utah built an 18-point lead.Raheem Sterling will come up against some familiar faces in the Capital One Cup final on Sunday, when Manchester City clash with his former club Liverpool. The England forward insisted his £49m move to the Etihad last summer was all about winning trophies and he has the opportunity to lift the first one available to him this weekend.However, his old club Liverpool will be standing in his way. Who will come out on top? We asked Soccer Saturday pundits Phil Thompson, Charlie Nicholas and Paul Merson for their view on the battle, how Sterling may impact the final and whether Liverpool will be able to nullify their former ace.Charlie Nicholas I just dont see him getting on the ball and beating people like he was two or three months ago. Charlie Nicholas When is the last time we talked about Raheem Sterling? I remember when he scored three against Bournemouth and it couldve been five but weve barely mentioned him since - other than giving away a penalty against Tottenham.This final should have his name all over it and Liverpool fans should be saying oh God, he worries me but I dont think theyll be overly concerned about him. Raheem Sterlings first game against Liverpool didnt go well - a 4-1 defeat at home I think the occasion could get to the lad. Hes still young and hes still learning but I just dont see him getting on the ball and beating people like he was two or three months ago. Hes edgy. I dont think hes quite sure what position hes meant to be in and what hes meant to do, just like three or four of the other City players at the moment.He should be thriving as soon as Yaya Toure or David Silva get the ball because hes got pace to burn, but I think the true crux of it is hes actually playing for his cup final place on Wednesday night against Dynamo Kiev.Paul Merson The Liverpool players will know what he can do from training and will be wary of him. Authentic Nike Air Max 270 Store. Paul Merson I do feel sorry for him a bit as he didnt ask for that price tag and hes still a young kid.Sometimes I watch him and hes unbelievable, but he doesnt strike a ball properly. His goals always seem to bobble in, you never see him drill a ball into the corner. Sterling was a key player for Liverpool last season He will get better and the Liverpool players will know what he can do from training and will be wary of him. Phil Thompson Hes always a player that you fear and the occasion wont scare him. Phil Thompson I still think that he was badly advised and I wouldnt say that hes been a massive hit but hes still very young.Hes still got to work on his final ball but when hes on his game he can be very troublesome. Sterling has scored 10 goals across all competitions for Man City Hes always a player that you fear and the occasion wont scare him. The kid has a good footballing attitude, hes a tough little boy. Ive seen him at a younger age still turn up in big games. The real challenge is for him to be more consistent now.Watch the Capital One Cup final between Manchester City and Liverpool live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 4pm on Sunday Also See: Barnes and Goater Q&A Liverpools League Cup wins Wholesale China JerseysWholesale JerseysWholesale Authentic JerseysNike NFL Jerseys ChinaWholesale Nike Basketball JerseysHockey Jerseys ChinaSupply Baseball JerseysFootball Jerseys SaleAuthentic College JerseysMLB Jerseys ChinaStitched Soccer JerseysCheap Jerseys From ChinaCheap Nike Jerseys ' ' '